Colkegan Cask Strength Single Malt

This bottle came home with me from a trip to Santa Fe. Didn’t make it to the distillery, but tasted 5 different bottles at their downtown tasting room. My favorites were this one and the apple brandy finished single malt. I understand that the single malt is a blend of 30% mesquite smoked malted barley and 70% unsmoked. Compared to the Del Bac Dorado, the mesquite flavor can be difficult to find. In fact, on the nose I don’t notice mesquite or smoke at all. It’s mostly apple, bubblegum, and something slightly herbal. The palate and finish seem to be where the mesquite shows up, but I’m not sure that I’d identify it if I wasn’t looking for it. It’s fairly subtle. It’s drinkable neat, but I prefer it with a little water. On the palate more apple and now caramel and cinnamon. A little smoke shows up on the back end going into the finish. It’s not immediately recognizable as mesquite smoke as it is with Del Bac, but some smoke is there nonetheless. Something mildly herbal shows up again, which someone else identified as sage, and I could go along with that. Overall, I enjoy this. It’s perhaps less interesting than Del Bac Dorado, but it’s more drinkable with the mesquite dialed way back to almost unnoticeable. It still retains some interest with the slight smoke and herbal note. Not on the level of some of the better Balcones single malts, but I think worth checking out, especially at the reasonable prices at the distillery. The regular priced at 49, apple brandy finished at 59, and cask strength $69.

Definitely smokey on the nose, with some lite appke notes underneath. There is even an eccense of smiked ham. Spice and more smoke meet you on the palate, but then finish fades surprisingly quick for such a high proof whiskey.

Light to medium gold color Light fruit nose. Apple biggest note Definyfruit followed by a thick carmel. Complex

Sample from Flaviar w/ Jeet

Spicy herbal smoke earthy flavor

Toast, oak, leather, and vanilla on the nose, but pretty tame. Sweet and sort of hot taste; cinnamon, oak and a touch of peat.

Apples and caramel on the nose. Hot on the palate with a spicy finish